8. When a company crisis occurs, a leader with authoritative traits can begin to call the shots to make immediate changes. An Autocratic or authoritarian leadership style will comprise of dictates and orders like telling aides what is to be done and how is something supposed to be done. List of the Advantages of the Autocratic Leadership Style 1. Safety is a top priority within the autocratic leadership style. The employees have clear and strict job descriptions and know what to do and what is expected of them. In fact, some characteristics of autocratic leadership can be considered advantages in some situations and drawbacks in others. It is most likely that well-known leaders or managers are successful due to a combination of personal characteristics and good training. That reduces the productivity available, and eventually leads to declining morale. Autocratic leadership eliminates this issue because the command goes straight to the workers involved. Other relevant articles for you are: Advantages and disadvantages of digital marketing, Advantages and disadvantages of franchising. Nevertheless, autocratic leadership is one of the least popular management styles and certainly not suitable for each organisation. - the leader respects other peoples opinions and feedback. There are some work environments which require a high level of control. Because it is the autocratic leaders reputation on the line, not the worker doing the job, those in this type of position tend to supervise every small detail of the work being done. There are two reasons why the autocratic leadership style encourages an overall lack of accountability. Autocratic leadership Advantages And Disadvantages. Boston Spa, Workers can benefit from the competencies offered by their leader, replicating productivity by using the leaders knowledge and experience as a workplace asset. Explains that autocratic leadership is a style often associated with the world of sports. And when it comes to long-term issues, autocratic leaders know how to direct traffic through the hierarchies. Removes employee stress. Only the leader will weigh the pros and cons of every option instead of the entire C-suite. The leader is the only one who is in charge of the situation. The leader is the only person to take the decision solely as they are in charge . If that leader goes away, then the team is unable to function because they were focused on their role. The Disadvantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership. This process may create a powerful and positive impact on their performance. In, laissez-faire leadership leader gives all power to his subordinates to act on their own. There Is No Room for Flexibility. Whatever approach is predominately used it will be vital to the success of the business. There is nothing complicated about the autocratic leadership style. They use their personal experiences to form rules or regulations that translate into step-by-step instructions for workers to follow. While employees who need clear directive and feedback from their leader tend to do best under an autocrat, more experienced employees often do well in a more autonomous environment. Quick decision: Quick decision making is guaranteed because a single person decides for the whole group. Strict compliance becomes necessary. Such a group process usually, takes a longer time to come to decision. Additionally, a leader like this improves workplace efficiency by instructing staff members on what to do and how to meet deadlines. The cadets were fresh and were eager to learn, my Commanding Officer told me to do the "traditional" way of welcoming the cadets, this in fact is very beneficial to me and us because it instill dis. If the leader offers questionable ethics, however, and refuses to create fairness, then there is no one who can really hold that person accountable. This requires good two-way communication and often involves democratic discussion groups, which can offer useful suggestions and ideas. employees also do not show their commitment to the organizational purpose. In this article, we outline some essential autocratic leadership pros and cons. Because autocratic leaders are able to move information throughout an organization quickly, there are fewer delays in productivity. At times, the original instruction may get lost within complex and multiple channels of communication. After all, this is what good leadership is all about. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); At BokasTutor, We aim to provide easy and insightful explanations on different topics of disciplines like Management, Marketing, Finance, Business, and Entrepreneurship. There is also less feedback from various levels of management which must be processed. The idea here is that with a centralised control, giving guidance and direction to employees is relatively easy. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages to consider with the autocratic leadership style. Let's explore whether an autocratic leadership style is the right one for you: Benefits of Autocratic Leadership Style. Autocratic leadership always encourages one-way communication to eliminate this problem. Autocratic leaders are like the captain of the ship. . Autocratic leadership style works better in situations where swift decisions are needed. Managers do not trust workers and simply give orders (one-way communication) that they expect to be obeyed. Do you have a team of inexperienced employees? Each person benefits from the regulated competencies that are offered by the leader. The decision can be made faster with this leadership style. In many ways, it could be described as, Do it my way or go hit the highway. Workers get the job done, or else they go find a different job. It improves productivity. They will delegate to them the authority to do this (empowerment) and listen to their advice. Although the autocratic leadership style is often viewed as being a directive relationship between the leader and the team member, there are two other varieties found with this style. There are three main categories of leadership styles: autocratic, paternalistic and democratic. And what are autocratic leadership pros and cons? They can easily manage these issues because they're the only ones who get to call the shots. Essentially, no one will be confused about the direction of a company or even the specific assignment they are working on. 3. This detailed article sheds light on some of the advantages and disadvantages of autocratic leadership style. Many prime ministers and presidents around the world are also well-known for their autocratic style. It may create an unwelcome culture within the organization. Autocratic leadership is one-directional, top-down leadership. But, the results always lead to corporate success. Autocratic leaders generally could use organizational . Such times require a leader with ability to give instructions or guide and direct to those under his or her authority. Here are the top advantages of autocratic leadership: This leadership style enables quick decision-making, which is one of the most significant benefits of autocratic leadership. When a leader is asked to operate in an authoritarian manner, it is difficult to turn that role on and off on-demand. Every leadership style comes with some benefits and weaknesses. Its main weakness is that it hinges heavily on the abilities and temperament of your employees. The ultimate democratic system occurs when decisions are made based on the majority view of all workers. This creates more speed, better productivity, and enhanced efficiencies within the workplace. This system leaves the employees stress-free. One of the hallmarks of autocratic leadership is that the leader comes to his decisions quickly. Autocratic leaders are able to handle a crisis situation easily because they are the ones who are in charge. Disadvantages: Although some managers adopt democratic leadership, it is just to please their subordinates but they do not follow the technique fully. It increases the work burden for the leader. Autocratic leadership is a type of leadership that is individual-centric. People who step out of this line are quickly identified and brought back into the fold. Boston House, Contrary to popular opinions, many organisations are well suited to the autocratic leadership type at some degree. It allows for fast decisions to be made. Their expertise becomes an asset to the company, even being able to fill-in during a shortfall to immediately correct a problem in virtually any situation. The procedures and rules might seem rigid. Here are the top advantages of autocratic leadership: Faster Decision-making This leadership style enables quick decision-making, which is one of the most significant benefits of autocratic leadership. Autocratic leaders cant make trust a priority because they are forced to make the rules be the priority. The leader is the only one who is in charge of the situation. Business, sports, politics, and many other fields have witnessed a great number of autocratic leaders throughout the history. When an autocratic leader is consistent with their ethics and is determined to create a fair working environment, then there can be a lot of positives for workers in a company. To conclude, though autocratic leadership style has several disadvantages, it can be argued that there are some situations autocratic leadership style should yield better results for organisations. Put plainly, an autocratic leader is a leader who has total control over their jurisdiction and does not request or accept input from employees regarding their decisions. Authoritative leaders are most consistent in their approaches and systems. According to Startingbusiness.com, a significant drawback to working with an autocratic leader is the lack of flexibility in the workplace. In some situations, this leadership . This leadership style can produce authoritative short-term results. Autocratic leaders dont deal with the hassle of multiple leadership levels. When an autocratic leadership style is used in these situations, then the control the policies and procedures provide encourage a deeper commitment to safety. Do you know why? In the paternalistic form, the core characteristics of this leadership style are used, with an added emphasis on worker wellbeing as part of the experience. The leader will need to create the system, with all the rules and procedures, in which the team uses to operate and reach goals. In a system of dependence, an autocratic leadership style creates a lack of trust between you and your workers. So, there are advantages of the autocratic leadership style for the employees, too. These were the autocratic leadership style advantages and disadvantages. Inexperienced employees need a detailed layout and instructions to complete taskstraits an autocratic leader is known for. Characteristics of autocratic leadership style. Leaders are of different types. It removes the pressure on the employees. Autocratic - cause frustration and resentment because the system is so dependent on the leader and because of the non-participation if workers . Team members have creative freedom 3. In this article, we outline some essential, This leadership style enables quick decision-making, which is one of the most significant. Individual decision making: Less competent sub-managers can be used only to carry out the orders of the boss. Moreover, the instructions will go straight to the employees. When there is clear direction, with a path toward success, offered to workers, then they are able to focus on productivity instead of problem solving. Although they set their rules and regulations to control the team, they also play a significant role in eradicating employee stress. Succession planning can be defined asa business strategy organizations use to pass leadership roles down to another employee or group of employees. Employees feel motivated and devote their maximum effort when they feel valued for their presence and contribution. Motivation and reward for leaders Effective where a chain of command is crucial So, there are. Transactional leadership is characterized by a leader/subordinate relationship governed by exchange, and with an autocratic leader, this exchange is total compliance with expectations for continued employment with the company. Autocratic leaders have imperious or commanding personalities. Likewise, this style is also very effective when astringent synchronisation of processes is essential to productivity. The main characteristics of autocratic leadership style are as follows: * Autocratic leaders make all the decisions and pass them down to the people under them for implementation. They wont get blamed if it fails and they wont get credit if it succeeds. - encourages independence and creativity. Faster decision-making Read more about each of these advantages in detail in our separate post: Laissez-Faire Leadership Advantages. Your email address will not be published. democratic leadership. 9. 2. Communication is the systematic process of passing information from one person to another. Now, she's focusing her writing on helping other small business owners and people planning to become small business owners navigate this crazy thing we call entrepreneurship. Autocratic leaders have the opportunity to take full control, responsibility and stress and build and maintain a productive operation. Advantages The pros of this approach include: Decisions can be made rapidly which may keep the team agile and very quick to respond to challenges. However, according to Schaeffer (2002) autocratic leaders are not those who bully people needlessly. The leader shares defined roles and patterns of work with the employees. This form serves well when the . Such times require a leader with the ability to give instructions or guide and direct to those under his or her authority. This lack of adaptability within your workforce can . Disadvantages of Autocratic or Authoritarian Leadership. What makes a good leader or manager? In addition, the leaders directly communicate to their followers where the work is to be done. The following are the notable advantages and disadvantages of the autocratic leadership style in the workplace. Autocratic leadership is defined by a top-down approach when it comes to all decision-making, procedures, and policies within an organization. Many analysts argue that late Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple Inc.), Elon Musk, and to some extent Bill Gates are autocratic leaders. Second, autocratic leadership gives the leader an enormous amount of power in deciding how the team operates, but this also means increasing responsibility and accountability. By the time the information reaches the front-line employees doing most of the work, the entire original message could be lost. This is one of the autocratic leader strengths and weaknesses that is highly dependent on the workplace environment. This process may create a powerful and positive impact on their performance. It encourages a higher churn rate. According to Attner and Plunkett (1994) managers who use the autocratic leadership style do not share decision-making authority with their subordinates. Autocratic leadership is an exchange process, so it is a matter of contingent reinforcement of staff based on performances. This approach has limitations (as highlighted by other motivational theorists such as Mayo and Herzberg) but it can be effective in certain situations. Downsides of Autocratic Leadership While autocratic leadership can be beneficial at times, there are also many instances where this leadership style can be problematic. There may be situations when leaders are less qualified than their subordinates. Unlike, group decision-making the autocratic leader does not have to decide with his followers. Full potential of subordinates and their creative ideas are not utilized. When the leader is the only person in the organization who makes decisions and determines the companys strategy, they can easily feel overwhelmed. It also includes less feedback from the management levels. Required fields are marked *. The following are some of the instances because of which autocratic leadership is not suitable. They get to take all the credit for the work that gets done. Some people dont like the idea of coming up with new ideas. Although in authoritarian leadership, there is one-way communication there also exists effective communication. Answer (1 of 10): Before I begin, I also tried this type of leadership among newcomers in our Unit. An autocratic. 6. Decisions can be made faster with this leadership style. If you liked any of these articles, please feel free to share with others by clicking on the social sharing icons. Some are encouraging and collaborative, while others are commanding and dominating. List of the Advantages of Autocratic Leadership 1. An autocratic leader is well-equipped to deal with a crisis situation. An autocratic leader is the sole authority in her company, on her team or at the head of the group she is tasked with leading. It means employees who are extremely skilled or motivated may begin to lose their incentives to stay active under the current leadership creating conflict in the organisations.